Christmas tree ornament



March 17, 1959 R. J. WILLIAMS 2,877,587

CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Filed Oct. 24, 1957 FiG.4

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY United States Patent "ice CHRISTMAS TREE ORNAMENT Robert J. Williams, Youngstown, Ohio, assignor to Hoover Prfiiiducts, Inc., Youngstown, Ohio, a corporation of O o This invention relates to a Christmas tree ornament and more particularly to a method of assembling a flat member and a cylindrical member comprising the ornament.

The principal object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree ornament comprising a flat vertically standing member and a cylindrical member positioned thereon so that it appears to extend outwardly from the opposite sides of the flat member.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree ornament in which a cylindrical member having oppositely disposed vertical slots therein is disposed over a vertically positioned flat member and dropped into notches in the top thereof while distorted so that upon its resuming its normal position it will be retained in said offset portions of said notches.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a Christmas tree ornament in which a vertically standing flattened member is provided with horizontally disposed cylindrical member and the cylindrical member secured thereto so as to be incapable of being moved therefrom accidentally.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a simple and inexpensive construction by which a flat body member and a cylindrical body member may be joined to one another.

The Christmas tree ornament disclosed herein comprises a vertically disposed section of plastic material, which is preferably star-shaped, and which has an opening centrally thereof in which a light reflecting rotating vane is disposed.

In order to protect the vane, a cylindrical body of transparent material is positioned therearound and appears to be attached in oppositely disposed half sections to the opposite sides of the vertical star-shaped body.

The cylindrical body member is actually slotted vertically, and upon being distorted it may be dropped into position on the vertical body member into engagement with a pair of offset notches whereby the cylindrical body will be retained in fixed position thereon.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being the intention to cover all changes and modifications of the example of the invention herein chosen for purposes of the disclosure, which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a composite view showing the respective parts of a Christmas tree ornament.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the respective parts of the Christmas tree ornament shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a top plan view of the respective parts of the Christmas tree ornament shown in Figure 1 wherein the cylindrical member is distorted.

Patented Mar. 17, 1959 Figure 4 is a top plan view of the respective parts of the Christmas tree ornament shown in Figure 1 wherein the parts are in assembly.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the Christmas tree ornament in assembly.

By referring to the drawings and Figure l in particular it will be noted that a cylindrical body member 10 having oppositely disposed vertically standing slots 11-11 therein is positioned in superimposed relation with respect to a star-shaped vertically standing fiat body member 12. The'flat body member 12 has a central opening 13 in which a vane 14 of light reflecting material is rotatably mounted.

The fiat body member 12 has a pair of oppositely disposed notches 15 in its uppermost surface, the major portion of each of the notches 15-15 being wider than the wall thickness of the cylindrical body member 10, while the uppermost portions 15A--15A of the notches 15 are narrower and correspond with the actual wall thickness of the body member 10. The portions 15A-15A of the notches 15 are spaced with respect to one another a distance less than the normal diameter of the cylindrical body member 10 so that the cylindrical body member 10 must be distorted to an oval shape when it is lowered into position where the slots 11-11 will slide over the body member 12 with the interconnecting portions 16-16 of the cylindrical body member 10 above the slots 11--11 entering the narrow parts ISA-15A of the notches 15 and then moving in under the narrow portion when the cylindrical body member 10 returns to normal circular shape. This action is illustrated in Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 of the drawing.

In Figure l of the drawings the parts are in superimposed relation as they are in Figure 2. In Figure 3 the cylindrical body member 10 has been distorted so that it is in oval shape and it is thereby capable of being lowered into position with the slots 11-11 registering over the body member 12 and the portions 16 entering the portions 15A.

In Figure 4 of the drawings the cylindrical body member 10 has been completely engaged uponv the vertical body member 12, allowed to resume its normal circular or cylindrical shape and it has, therefore, moved into fixed position under the portions of the body member 12 alongside the narrow portions 15A of the notches 15.

In Figure 5 of the drawings a perspective view of the assembled Christmas tree ornamentmay be seen, the illusion of the cylindrical body member 10 emerging from the opposite sides of the vertical body member 12 being achieved by the construction herein disclosed.

- It will thus be seen that a simple and inexpensive Christmas tree ornament of a completely novel form and assembly has been disclosed herein wherein two completely different shaped members are joined one to the other through the provision of slots and notches in the respective parts and in the distortion of one of the parts while it is being assembled to the other.

It will thus be seen that the several objects of the invention have been met by the Christmas tree ornament disclosed herein.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim ls:

l. A Christmas tree ornament comprising a fiat body member and a cylindrical body member, said cylindrical body member normally mounted on said flat body member inwardly from the opposite sides thereof, slots formed In the cylindrical body member and notches formed in the flat body member, said notches adapted to receive the non-slotted portions of said cylindrical body member.

2. A Christmas tree ornament as set forth in claim 1 wherein the notches are offset with the outermost portions thereof being in closer spaced relation than the innermost portions thereof.

arenas? 3. A Christmas tree ornament comprising a flat body member normally disposed vertically and having a pair of spaced parallel notches formed in an uppermost surface, each of the notches being ofiset outwardly with respect to one another so as to define narrow cntranceways, and a cylindrical body member normally disposed in vertical position having oppositely disposed vertical slots in the walls thereof, said notches in said flat body member being spaced with respect to one another a distance less than the normal diameter of said cylindrical body member.

4. A Christmas tree ornament comprising a fiat body member normally disposed vertically and having a pair of spaced parallel notches formed in an uppermost surface, each of the notches being offset outwardly with respect to one another so as to define narrow entrance- Ways, and a cylindrical body member normally disposed in vertical position having oppositely disposed vertical slots in the walls thereof, the entrance of said ofset notches in said body member being spaced with respect to one another a distance less than the normal undistorted diameter of said cylindrical body member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

